A Wave To Glide In On
by Optimisticynic
Summary: A slow burning Zutara, five years and beyond the war. Expanded from a one shot to include all of Zutara week. Some unrequited initially and a hefty dose of angst. For Zutara Week 2012.
1. Maybe I am a crook

**Zutara Week 2012**  
**Day 3: Transcend**

**Maybe I am a crook (for stealing your heart away)**

**_Those bright blue eyes_**  
**_can only meet mine_**  
**_across a room,_**  
**_filled with people_**  
**_that are less important_**  
**_than you._**

**_Because you_**  
**_love, love, love._**  
**_When you know_**  
**_I can't love. _**  
-_Love, Love, Love_  
Of Monsters and Men

* * *

Most people assumed that Suki was leader of the Kyoshi warriors because she could disarm most grown men in 30 seconds flat. Generally she was fine with that assumption, partially because it was absolutely true (detaining the warden of the Boiling Rock prison certainly hadn't been a fluke) but mostly because it hid the real reason why she was such an effective leader (she was taught never to lay all her cards on the table).

Her real talents lay in her ability to quickly and efficiently assess any situation, therefore allowing her to effectively prepare for whatever her opponent might throw at her. She could almost instantaneously figure out the playing field - which meant, among other things, that she was able to read the body language and intentions of all the players at any given time. Her abilities at shrewd observation and furtive scrutiny were the reason she eventually became captain.

They're also the reason why, five years after the end of the war and to her great surprise, she realizes that Zuko is in love with Katara.

* * *

It begins with small things that she catches him doing over and over – always fleeting and always when he thinks no one is watching him. The way his eyes linger, slightly, on Katara no matter how many people are in the room; the way his jaw tightens when she brushes up next to him; how his breath will almost imperceptibly – to anyone but her, at least – hitch any time Katara smiles.

At first she tried to dismiss it, certain that it was only a trick of the light or her tired eyes seeing ghosts of reactions. But years of honed abilities can't, don't lie to her and soon the instances - the stolen glances and clenched jawlines - become too frequent to write off.

She takes to observing Zuko's public, open interactions with Katara. After five years, they've fallen into an easy pattern of bickering and teasing, always with an undercurrent of sincere affection. Whereas early in their friendship their discussions would often explode into all-out, vehement arguments – a side-affect of being two determined (pigheaded, Toph would say, which Suki found hilarious since Toph was as immovable as her element) individuals from opposite elements – five years of closeness have reduced the number of arguments, if not their overall intensity. The rest of the group accepts the continued shouting matches, never questioning nor needing a reason for their continued occurrence.

However, the more Suki watches them, the more she sees a pattern to their bitterest arguments. That he will only goad Katara, bait her into arguments after they have had a particularly sweet, sincere exchange.

"You're always ruining these moments with such stupid arguments!" She hears Katara say once, before storming off in a huff.

She sees Zuko's face after the exchange, a fleeting look of shame that's almost immediately engulfed in an expression that is equal parts regret and relief. Only then does she understand the why and what fors of why he lashes out, sometimes desperately, into conflict.

It is a safety, a coping mechanism, a way to cover up the only thing he really wants to say: _I love you, I love you, I love you_.

She would laugh at such a ridiculous ploy, if she didn't find the whole thing to be so unbearably sad.

* * *

She spends the next year wondering, thinking, planning to tell him that she knows. They have never been particularly close but he just sometimes seems so lonely and lost that her heart aches for him. It seems a cruel thing to force him to keep love to himself, after having been denied it for so long. But she can never find the right moment to do so or can never quite call up the words.

* * *

6 years after the end of the war and they are all at the Fire Nation Capital, celebrating the victories of their teenaged selves.

Sokka noticed Zuko leaving the main banquet hall and insistd that he and Suki join him. "Who could brood on a night like this?" Sokka asks, incredulous (and just a little bit drunk). He twined his fingers with hers as they follow the fire lord out to the balcony. "Hey there, Lord Jerkbender" He said cheerily, clapping an arm around around Zuko's shoulders. "What kind of a leader spends his time away from the biggest party in the history of the fire nation?"

"The kind that that doesn't want drinks spilled on his very expensive, very new celebratory outfit." Zuko replied dryly, as he looked down at the spot of liquor that had splashed onto him from Sokka's drink.

"Aw, sorry about that, buddy. But hey, good thing you're the fire lord. You can get ten more made at any moment!" Zuko rolled his eyes as Sokka continued on, not noticing (or caring), " Anyway, stop moping out here! There are tons of Fire nation ladies in there that want to dance with you in there! You need to be celebrating! We ended the war!"

"We ended six years ago, Sokka." Suki replied.

"So? It was still the hardest thing we ever had to do."

Zuko smiled and put a hand on Sokka's shoulder, gently pushing him towards the party. "I'm just getting some air. Go back inside and have fun and I'll be right behind you in a second."

Sokka looked like he was about to say more but Suki interrupted him before he could get started. "Hey, I think I just saw Teo walk into the party. Didn't you want to talk to him about your plans for the slide in our house?"

Sokka brightened immediately, his lecture aimed at Zuko forgotten. Suki laughed and kissed him on the cheek before pointing out Teo in the ballroom and nudging him in the right direction. "I'll see you in a bit. I wouldn't want to interrupt your house planning with anything too practical."

She smiled at his retreating figure as Zuko snorted and said, "A slide? Tell me you're joking."

Suki cocked her head towards him and replied, " It's Sokka. What do you think?"

Zuko shook his head and leaned back, resting his arms on the railing of the balcony.

Suki looked at him from the corner of her eye, still facing the party. After a moment she said, "Sokka's wrong you know. About ending the war being the hardest thing you've ever done."

Zuko looked at her. "What do you mean? That battle with Azula was the hardest one I ever fought." He paused for a moment. "I did nearly die, you know." He finished wryly.

"I know," she acknowledged. "I'm not denying that the fight itself was difficult and life-threatening. But deciding to do it was simple because it's easy to go after what you want." She paused and turned to look at him directly. "But denying yourself the very thing you want the most, forcing yourself to hide the truth from those that mean everything…" She turned and looked at Katara, laughing and dancing in the banquet hall, feeling Zuko's gaze following hers. "That takes a type of strength very few people have. It goes beyond what most people can bear."

'But not for you' was the unspoken phrase that lingered between them. But as she looked at him, this young Fire Lord barely out of his teens, she wondered how much more he could endure. His heart, after all, was not as ironclad as his legendary sense of honor.

He'd been silent, turned away from her, his posture defeated. Suddenly, he inhaled sharply and drew himself up. He turned to her, ready to speak, prepared to deny or explain himself away.

Suki held up a hand to stop him. "Easy there Lord Jerkbender," her tone joking but her eyes soft and sad. "No one else knows. And they won't, not from me. Your famous honor lives to fight another day."

Zuko remained silent and looked out, up into the night sky. Finally he said, "I've really been underestimating your abilities all these years."

Suki shrugged. "Well I certainly didn't become captain because of my pretty face," she joked, grinning cheekily at him.

The left side of his mouth quirked up. Suki laid a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't stay out here too long, ok? I hate to say this but Sokka's right. Tonight is no night for brooding."

Zuko nodded and gave her his patented half-smile. Suki squeezed his arm warmly and turned to rejoin the party inside. Halfway to the entrance of the ballroom she turned around and looked at Zuko thoughtfully, chewing the side of her lip. "Hey Zuko?" She called out.

He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I just want you to know that most people don't meet their soulmates when they're 14. People tend to change their minds about what it is that they really want." It's a gamble, she knows, because even she is unsure if the conclusions drawn from a half a dozen observations are correct. Katara was a much harder study than Zuko turned out to be.

His eyes widened slightly. "What-"

"It's just a..." She broke in, unsure of the way she was going to finish the sentence. It wasn't a prediction, because she wondered if even Katara was aware of the ways in which her behavior had changed. It couldn't be a promise, which would be cruel if fulfilled in either direction. "It's just an observation." She finished.

His eyes searched her face and he nodded sharply, his face a torrent of guilt, hope and weariness.

She spun around quickly to rejoin the party, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

6 months later Katara breaks up with Aang and not even Sokka is surprised to see it end. Suki's first thought is of Aang, who she is sure was devastated. Her second thought is of Zuko and his world famous honor. She thinks, "Don't be an idiot."


	2. The past is prologue

_Author's Note: I decided to continue on in the same universe for Zutara week. Not as much angst in this one, though a tad bit at the end. This is set a few months before Suki confront Zuko about his feelings for Katara. _

* * *

**Zutara Week 2012  
Day 4: Whimsical **

**What's Past is Prologue**

* * *

"I guess you really do rise with the moon." A voice rasped out behind her.

Katara dropped her arms and let the streams of water fall back harmlessly into the pond before her. She turned to face an amused looking Zuko.

"Glad to know that you still remember, even after five and a half years." She countered.

"It's not something I'm ever likely to forget," he said with a smile, his eyes burning intently at her. He looked down at the pond. "Although I don't think my turtleducks are too pleased that you decided to bend their home an hour past midnight. Not all of us keep ridiculous waterbender hours."

She gave him a playful shove and looked down at the rather irritated looking turtleducks, a guilty expression crossing her face.

"Oops, sorry." She apologized. "I kind of just started bending without even noticing they were there."

Zuko shrugged and grinned at her, taking a seat on a rock next to her. "Don't worry about it. They lived through Azula, I'm sure they can handle a little bit of waterbending."

Katara smiled slightly. "What are you doing out here?" She asked. "I'd heard that firebenders rise with the sun." Though the joke was an old one and often used, it only grew more affectionate at time wore on.

"I was finishing up some paperwork for the council tomorrow and uncle mentioned seeing you out here." He paused and motioned to the pond. "Had I known you were going to begin terrorizing my turtleducks, I would've come out here sooner."

"I was not terrorizing them!" She protested loudly.

"Relax," he assured her. "I was joking." He turned to look at her. "So, you're being the moody one and I'm the calm one making bad jokes. It's like we've switched places." He smirked at her scowl. "Now Katara," he began, hitching his voice higher and mimicking the soothing tone she often used with him, "you can't just keep everything inside of you. Feelings are meant to be shared."

Her scowl deepened but he kept his expression placid, eyes focused keenly on her. "Really though. What's on your mind?" He asked softly.

She sighed and sat down close next to him. "I am terrified about tomorrow." She admitted. "I'm becoming the youngest person to ever be diplomat for the Southern Water Tribe. And I'll be stepping into the position at a particularly difficult time for the four nations. I know most people just see me as the Avatar's girlfriend and companion. That they're wondering if that's the only reason I was elected diplomat."

"Katara," he said firmly. "You are much, much more than anyone's girlfriend, Aang or otherwise. And anyone that thinks that's the only reason you've been elected diplomat has the misfortune of being both completely stupid and completely wrong. It's because of you that the two water tribes have such a good relationship. It's because of you, not Aang, that the Fire Nation has a relationship at all with the water tribes. People value what you have to say because you say things worth listening to. You make can make anyone feel important, because you genuinely think they are. You're compassionate, intelligent and practical…not to mention you could probably take any of the world leaders on head to head in a bending match. People listen to Aang because he's the Avatar and they feel like they have to. They listen to you because they want to."

She searched his face and smiled slowly at him. "How'd you get so good at saying the exact thing to make me feel better?" She wondered aloud.

He shrugged, cheeks reddening slightly. "Well, I have to contribute something to this friendship sometimes." He joked.

She nudged him slightly with her shoulder. "Thanks Zuko. And thanks for coming out here." She hesitated, then said softly, "I can't talk about things like this with Aang." Zuko looked questioningly at her. "Not that he wouldn't care but…he's so focused on being the Avatar and he needs me to take care of him, to be his rock. Which I'm perfectly happy to do. I want to take care of him. It's just sometimes…" she trailed off.

"Even a rock needs a rock." Zuko finished for her.

She laughed quietly and nodded her head. "Exactly."

"Well," he declared, "I've been known to be pretty immovable when motivated. So, whatever you need…" he paused, his eyes softening in the moonlight. "I'm yours." He inhaled sharply. "No, I mean, what I'm saying is, that I'm here for you. If you want." He finished lamely. He shook his head in annoyance and jumped up next to her.

"Come on," he commanded. "Let's spar."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? How is that going to help me tomorrow?"

"It's not," he replied. "Which is fine because you're not going to need any help for tomorrow, I know you're gonna be great. It will help you fall asleep tonight though, which is definitely something you need help with."

She pursed her lips in thought and then nodded, dropping to a fighting stance. He shot a burst of fire at her which she easily blocked with a whip of water. Fire met water over and over again, lighting up the moonlit courtyard, the only sounds the movements of the fighters and the hiss of water becoming steam.

Finally, Katara lifted a small wave out of the fountain and froze him against the far wall of the courtyard.

A mischievious look entered his eyes

"You little peasant." He hissed, lacing his voice with mock contempt. "You've become a waterbending master!"

Katara smiled, thinking back to the frenzied moments of their battle at the Northern Water Tribe nearly six years ago.

The water around him began to melt. When his hands were free, he lifted them into the sky and blasted a wave of fire high above him, dramatically screaming, "HOONNOOORRR!" while falling to his knees.

The surprise of seeing Zuko blatantly poke fun at himself, combined with his uncanny impression of his Ember Island Player counterpart caused Katara to drop her stance and throw her head back, howling with laughter.

He smiled widely at her and took a small bow. When he had straightened out, he found himself engulfed in a tight hug.

Zuko stiffened slightly. "Relax, Zuko," Katara cajoled. "I'm not trying to smother you or anything."

He chuckled weakly before hesitatingly draping his arms loosely around her shoulders.

Katara leaned into him, finding comfort in his unwavering confidence in her. He sighed softly and tightened his arms around her. She found herself forgetting about anything that plagued her, simply satisfied to enjoy the circle of his arms. Arms that had once, she reflected, been intent on harm and capture were now bastions of contentment and strength. The edges of her thoughts whispered comparisons between the affectionate, light hugs of Aang and the steadiness and warmth of Zuko's. She knew the thoughts were dangerous ones so she instead tried to imagine the look on the face of her 14 year old self if she saw this sweet exchange and couldn't keep laughter from bubbling out of her.

"My hugs aren't that bad, are they?" He asked with feigned offense, though she sensed a tinge of vulnerability to the words.

She tightened her embrace. "They're one of my favorite things about you." She replied honestly. She took in a breath, as though ready to say more, but then just buried her face in his chest instead.

He exhaled deeply and she felt him relax further into the hug. He lifted his hand and ran it down the length of her hair lightly, once, twice, as she smiled into his chest and closed her eyes, weariness seeming to crash over her all at once. After a long moment, she felt him clench his jaw and found herself being pushed gently away from him, though he still kept his hands on her shoulders. An expression of tenderness and something she couldn't quite define flitted over his face so quickly that she wasn't sure that it wasn't just a trick of the moonlight. When she looked again, his expression was one of friendly concern.

"You should probably head to bed before you fall asleep standing up." He teased, though the grin he flashed didn't seem to quite reach his eyes.

She stifled a yawn and nodded, reaching up to squeeze his hands on her shoulders. "Thanks again, Zuko. And good night." She smiled sleepily at him before turning towards the palace.

"Good night, Katara." He said softly, before turning and staring down into the pond at the sleeping turtleducks.

As she wandered back to her room, she considered the words that she had almost blurted out there in the safety of his arms and the solitude of the night. That she wasn't sure when it happened or why, but that his arms around her weren't her favorite things about him - they were one of her favorite things in the world. That some time in the past five years, she had come to rely on him for encouragement, for comfort, for advice and the occasional brutally honest opinion.

She herself isn't quite sure what this means for her and Zuko, but she's starting to figure out what it probably means for her and Aang.


	3. Our Way to Fall Part I

_Author's Note: This is part 1 of 2 because this prompt got out of control. Thanks to all my reviewers and follows - you guys are the best! _

_Also, disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender doesn't belong to me and I definitely don't get money from doing this. This also applies to any chapter before or after this one._

* * *

**Zutara Week 2012  
****Day 5: Heartstrings**

**Our Way to Fall (Part I/II)  
**

* * *

Zuko sat turning over Katara's letter in his hands, rooted to his chair by a mixture of emotions. He re-read a section of her letter.

_The truth is that the end has been a long time coming_. _It isn't enough...isn't fair to try to love someone instead of actually loving them. I'm not exactly sure what I want from life or from love but I know that it isn't this. _

_You've always said that we're free to choose our own destinies. _

_It's time for me to choose a new one. _

He folded the letter closed and set it before him. He had taken his uncle's advice and turned it into a mantra over the years – one that his friends seemed to enjoy greater than his once-constant harping of honor. As he got older he realized that choosing was the easy part. He just wished that there was also a guide, a step by step system on how to get there.

He sighed and sat down to write her a reply.

* * *

Everything with Aang had always been so easy - figuring out their dates, making up after fights, planning their lives together.

Perhaps that's why moving on from him was so easy as well.

Four weeks out and it was as though the last six years were a fast disappearing dream. She missed her friend. She was overwhelmed with guilt at the thought of hurting him. She hated that she had lied to herself and to him for so long.

But there was never a moment, fleeting or slight, that she regretted her decision.

She reasoned to herself that she had long fallen out of love with him and so had said her unofficial goodbyes long ago. Sometimes she felt like it meant that she was just as cold and unfeeling as all the rumors made her out to be.

Maybe there really was something wrong with her heart.

She sighed and looked down at the letter in her hands, stamped with the Fire Nation emblem and written in Zuko's firm hand. Her eyes were drawn to the last paragraph, which she had practically memorized.

_If you need a place to go to contemplate your new destiny, the Fire Nation is always available to you. I'm immovable as ever and still happy to be your rock (or your sparring partner, your pai sho opponent, your reluctant shopping buddy). _

_As always, whatever you need, I'm yours. _

_Zuko_

It was the last sentence that made her heartbeat leap up in joy then freeze with terror in her throat.

There was definitely something wrong with her heart.

* * *

Katara put down her letter and stared idly at the map of the four nations above her head. The diplomatic council was set to convene in a month in the fire nation capital and she was looking forward to seeing Zuko.

Because he's my friend, she thought firmly. And I haven't seen him in a while.

"Thinking about Zuko?" a voice asked innocently beside her.

Katara turned to look at Toph. "What makes you think that?"

Toph shrugged, then waited a moment before stating, "The fact that you just finished a novel length letter and he's the only one that writes you letters that long."

"It wasn't that long." She protested.

"Right." Toph said, unconvinced. "I'm just surprised the poor messenger hawk didn't have a heart attack flying it down here."

Despite herself, Katara had to laugh. The messenger hawk had looked rather exhausted when it had arrived early and it seemed to Katara that it had thrown her a reproachful look, as though blaming her for its troubles.

"So how early are you gonna head to the fire nation before the council?" Toph asked.

"I wasn't...I wasnt really planning on it." Katara replied uncertainly.

"Really? Trying to avoid Zuko?"

"Why would I be trying to avoid him? He's one of my best friends."

"Because things are different now and you aren't quite sure what to do about it."

"How are things different?"

Toph shot her a look that clearly stated how stupid she though the question was.

"I mean, why would things be different between me and Zuko. We've been best friends for years. Not being with Aang isn't going to change that." Katara said decisively.

"No, your break up with Aang wouldn't and didn't change things between the two  
of us. But it's different with Sparky." Toph replied slowly, as though Katara were an idiot. She sighed long sufferingly. "I thought you would've learned the dangers of lying to yourself from your relationship with Aang."

"What does that have to do with -" Katara broke in, anger seeping into your voice.

"Listen up, Sugar Queen." Toph interrupted. "You know no one blames you or thinks you're horrible for breaking up with Aang. You're allowed to change your mind about what you want, especially when you made up your mind when you were 14 years old. But we both know that that relationship was long over before you had to guts to finally end it."

Katara was silent, looking down at her hands. Toph put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now think, Sugar Queen. Really think about Sparky and what it is you feel about him. You've gotten pretty good at convincing yourself what you should and shouldn't want. But your heart is too honest to keep anything hidden for long. Maybe you should try listening to it more" She cocked her head to the side. "It can be pretty deafening."

Katara sighed in acquiescence and closed her eyes, thinking about the very thing that she had avoided spending too much time on for the past year and a half. Her once bitter enemy had long since become her closest friend...and now? She sighed aloud. Although the thoughts had plied at the edges of her consciousness for over a year, she was finally forced to admit the truth: her feelings for Zuko went far beyond friendship.

She groaned and put her head in her hands. "How long have you known?" Was her muffled question to Toph.

"A while. I just figured it was about time you admitted it to yourself." Toph replied.

Katara looked at her mournfully. "What about him?" She asked.

"I don't know." Toph said quickly, grateful that Katara was horrible at figuring out lies. "He's a pretty guarded man at times. The real question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Katara made a noise that could've been "Aang" or "I don't know" or a very filthy curse word and put her head down on the table. After a moment, she lifted it and said, "It doesn't really matter what I want. Everyone would hate me. Aang would hate me. It would make everything people have been saying true."

"He wouldn't." Toph replied firmly. "And nothing anyone has been saying about you has been true. Whatever you decide to do next, as long as you're honest...well, you're still you, Sugar Queen." She punched Katara softly in the shoulder.

"You aren't a villain, Katara." Toph said in an uncharacteristically soft tone. "But that doesn't mean you should make yourself a martyr, either."

* * *

Katara showed up at the Fire Nation Palace two weeks before the diplomatic council was set to convene. She had been travelling constantly for the five months since her and Aang had broken up and she was exhausted, physically and mentally. She was looking forward to two weeks of not meeting with dignitaries and leaders whose time was spent (it seemed to her) either at each other's throats or trying to ply gossip about her breakup from her. Lately, she had also been getting hints at political matches she could make with sons she had never met.

As she pulled up to the dock, she felt a wave of excitement and pleasure at finally arriving to the Fire Nation. Her conversation with Toph had left her a lot to think about, though no real plan at what to do next. She had to admit though that at the moment, the thing she wanted to do most was sleep for about a week.

Zuko was at the dock to meet her. He took one look at her and said, "You look exhausted."

She smiled at him weakly. "Is that code for 'Katara, you look terrible'?"

He looked affronted. "You could never look terrible." He replied honestly. He turned quickly and motioned for his driver to load up her luggage. "Come on, this is my fastest carriage. Your rooms are already made up so you can head right for a nap when we get there."

She nodded, grateful, as she felt as though she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for over two months. She stepped into the carriage with Zuko following behind her, taking the seat opposite to her. One of his servants came over, asking him about the placement of the luggage; as he sat talking to him, Katara leaned over to rest her head on the far side of the carriage. She closed her eyes, finding herself soothed by the low rasping of his voice. The door shut quietly and she felt the seat next to her shift slightly.

"Here," he said softly, "lean on me, that way you won't bump your head every time we go over a crack in the road." She complied and leaned against him as he reached around her and put an arm on her shoulders, securing her firmly against him.

"I'm glad I'm here." She said softly. She felt a light kiss on the crown of her head and smiled.

* * *

When they arrived at the palace he walked her straight to her room, pushing her gently inside and telling her to rest and that they'd catch up afterwards.

He hesitated by her door. "Is there anything you need?" He asked gently.

She looked at him, wanting to laugh at the absurdity of the question. She needed a time machine so she could go back and break up with Aang the moment she realized she didn't love him anymore, instead of dragging it out for a year; she needed earmuffs to silence the vicious rumors and gossip that had followed her all the way from the southern water tribe and across the earth kingdom; she needed a fortuneteller to tell her what to do next; she needed a guide to navigate her own foolish, treacherous heart.

But Zuko couldn't give her any of those things. No one could. So she settled for the next best thing.

"I could really use a hug," she said finally, the corners of her lips turning up in a half smile.

He walked over and enveloped her in his arms, tightly, hoping that the hug could soothe and encourage in the way that his words probably couldn't right now. She exhaled deeply, and let her body relax into him, letting go of - just for moment - weeks of exhaustion, months of confusion and guilt, a year of pretending. She finally, finally admitted to herself that she never felt more cared for, more rooted, more like herself than when she was with him. There were times over the past five months (over the past year and a half, if she was being honest with herself) that she wished she could bottle up the feelings of peace and warmth that washed over her every time Zuko wrapped his arms around her and put them on her bedside table.

"Still one of your favorite things about me?" He asked quietly.

"Always."

* * *

The afternoon had not being going well for the Fire Lord and the Southern Water Tribe Diplomat. They couldn't quite agree on anything for the upcoming seven year celebration of the end of the war and were only getting more incensed with one another as the day wore on.

Finally, after a protracted argument on the order of ceremonies, Katara had had enough. She huffed in frustration and froze his feet to the floor. He growled and the ice disappeared into steam as he pointed a finger at the hem of her dress and set it on fire.

She yelped in surprised and bent water from his tea to put it out, scowling ferociously at him the entire time.

"This is my favorite dress!" She cried out.

"Well, whoever picked it has terrible taste!" He shot back.

"You bought it for me!"

"Well...then...I'll buy you another one!"

They looked at each other, panting hard with fury, the air tense around them. Suddenly, Zuko blinked quickly, his brow furrowing. "Wait, that's your favorite dress? One that I bought you?"

Katana was about to respond with a snide comment but then took a moment to take in his rather gobsmacked expression, the singed hem of her dress that now smelled like tea and his completely drenched shoes. The snide remark died in her throat and was replaced with a burst of laughter instead.

"Oh, Zuko," she choked out between laughter, "What is wrong with us?"

All the tension seemed to go out of his body and he grinned at her. "I think everyone's still trying to figure out the answer to that one." He lit the fire under the tea kettle, then looked guiltily at her dress. "I'm sorry about your dress. I really can get you another one."

She shrugged and smiled at him. "I'll just get it hemmed a little shorter and no one will ever notice the difference. Besides," she pointed at his shoes, "I've basically ruined your shoes, so it's about fair."

"I've never really liked them anyway," He assured her.

She grinned at him and got up, holding her hand out. "Truce?" she asked.

He got to his feet and took her hand. "Truce." He replied firmly. "Plus an added dinner alone with the Fire Lord to re-initiate negotiations."

She laughed and shook his hand. Then, spontaneously, stood up on tip toe to give him a kiss on the cheek.

The mood in the room changed immediately.

The leftover tension liquified and then became electric, charging the room with a heated sense of urgency and desire.

The playful look on his face became one of smoldering intensity, her relaxed posture became one of heightened awareness.

She drew back slightly and looked up at him, lifting her gaze to look directly into his eyes. Her breath hitched as blazing golden eyes met deep, darkened pools of longing.

He lifted a hand to carefully tuck an errant strand of hair out her face, caressing it gently before putting it behind her ear. She leaned into his touch, reaching up to lay her hand on his face, gently touching smooth and scarred skin, a reflection, a memory of the first real contact between the two of them.

He closed his eyes and breathed out quietly, saying her name like a prayer.

The whistling of the tea kettle shattered the silence, causing them both to jump away from each other. A moment later, the door opened.

"Pardon the interruption Fire Lord."

"What is it?" Zuko said roughly, though his gaze never left hers.

"Mistress Toph Bei Fong has just arrived at the palace." The man declared.

Zuko turned and made a non-committal noise, waving him off. He turned back to Katara, frowning.

"Hey, cheer up." She said, reaching out and squeezing his hand. "I won't let Toph cheat too much money out of your palace guards."

He twined his fingers with hers. "Katara…" He began.

"Come on," she said quietly, "you know how much she hates to be kept waiting." She lifted their interlinked hands and kissed his softly before letting go. "We'll have time together later. You still owe dinner, remember?"

She stepped away from him and walked swiftly out the door. Zuko looked at her retreating figure and let out a short burst of fire from his mouth. He silently, though fervently, cursed the spirits he was sure was having a joke as his expense before following her out the door.


	4. Our Way to Fall Part II

_Author's Note: This became a monster. I'm not sure where those 3000 words came from. Completely un-beta'd, so pardon the errors_. _This is my first real multi-chap fic and we're nearing the end, so I hope you've enjoyed yourself! _

* * *

Katara was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling of her room when a knock sounded at the door. Being in no mood to talk to anyone, she simply decided to ignore it, hoping that whoever it was would assume she was asleep. A moment later, Toph stepped into her room.

"Alright Sugar Queen, spill it." Toph demanded.

"What do you mean?" Katara replied, though she couldn't keep guilt from creeping into her voice.

Toph looked at her impatiently. "Are we really going to do this again?" Katara remained silent. Toph huffed loudly and continued, "What happened with you and Sparky? It felt like your hearts were going to burst out of your chest every time you looked at each other."

"Nothing happened." she said slowly.

Toph made a noise of disbelief, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.

"I mean it!" she insisted. When Toph continued to just stare at her, waiting, Katara got off her bed and started to pace. "Well...something almost happened. We had...a moment."

Toph nearly screamed in frustration. "What does that even mean?" she cried out loud.

"Well, we were arguing about, I don't know, something stupid I'm sure. And I froze his shoes and he burned my dress. Then the whole thing was so ridiculous that we both started laughing and called a truce and then...I kissed him on the cheek." she finished in a rush.

Toph looked at her, confused. "Well, a kiss on the cheek really is nothing..."

"I know. But after the kiss on the cheek... We almost actually did kiss. But then..."

"The greatest earthbender in the world decided to show up at an incredibly inconvenient time."

Katara shot her an amused look. "Essentially, yes."

Katara was quiet for a moment and then asked her, "Do you ever wonder what our lives would've been like if we'd grown up normally?"

Toph looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if we were just people from some nowhere town, growing up like anyone else. Do you ever wonder what that might be like?"

"No, because it sounds absolutely terrible." She replied, dryly. "But what does it have to do with you and Sparky?"

"Because the past few weeks that I've been here, it was almost like Zuko and I were just two normal people who were becoming...something." She sat down on her bed and chuckled mirthlessly. It was truly a laughable idea, really. Even if they weren't war heroes, and even if she wasn't the ex of the Avatar and he one of his best friends, they weren't, wouldn't ever be normal. He was the Fire Lord, trying to move a nation forward, and she was a Southern Water Tribe Waterbending master and diplomat, trying to hold the world together. The fact that she had been on vacation while the fire nation was in a particularly peaceful and prosperous period had made her forget all that, almost made her feel as though they were the only two people in the world. But it couldn't, wouldn't last. The world was forever in conflict and Aang would forever be a part of their lives.

"But we aren't just two normal people, living out their lives. We have duties. Responsibilities. To our nations, to the world...to other people we care about." She finished up quietly.

Toph cocked her head to one side and said, "That's all very well and good." She paused, then nudged Katara with her shoulder. "But, for what it's worth, I think you both have a responsibility to yourselves to at least try and find happiness. Otherwise, what'd we even win the war for?"

* * *

It was the night of the 7 year anniversary party and Toph was bored to tears. Suddenly she tilted her head sharply towards Zuko, certain that he had actually had a heart attack. She smirked once she heard his heart leap up, beating twice as fast as it had before. She'd heard enough about Katara's looks over the years to know that her friend must be beautiful. Lately though, it seemed as though Zuko was always seeing her for the first time.

"So much for subtlety, Lord Jerkbender," she heard a voice comment quietly next to her. The observation would've passed unnoticed, lost in the general noise of the ballroom, had the listener been anyone but a blind earthbender with almost supernatural hearing. She jerked in surprise, ready to turn and ask Suki what it was, exactly, that she knew, when she felt the Kyoshi warrior's strong hands on her shoulder, steering her out of the main ballroom and into a more secluded corner of one of the many adjacent rooms.

"I didn't think anyone would hear me." She said quietly to Toph. "But I guess that's what I get for voicing my thoughts out loud next to you. So, while we're here, mind telling me what's going on with the two of them?" She asked. "Katara spends half her energy finding ways to make sure she isn't standing next to him and Zuko barely bothers to hide the way he looks at her any more. The one time they actually brushed up against each other, I thought that the building was going to explode from all the tension."

Toph sighed in relief, grateful to have another observer to discuss the plight of her two ridiculous friends. "They got pretty close the past month or so that she's been here. Then they almost kissed and her royal sweetness freaked out and decided to worry more about Aang's happiness than her own. "

Suki groaned. "I thought Zuko's fixation on honor would be the problem. But apparently Katara has been spending a little too much time picking up the wrong habits from him."

Toph nodded her head, then leaned against a wall. "At least this party is interesting, for once."

* * *

Two weeks after the celebration, Zuko looked around at the table with a satisfied smile on his face. It was the last night all of his friends would be here together and he wanted to make the most of it. His uncle was pouring tea for Suki, heavy in a discussion with her and Sokka about the Lei Tai tournaments in the Earth Kingdom, which had just recently allowed waterbenders to join the frey. Toph and Aang were in an animated discussion, with Toph laughing loudly and Aang looking at her, exasperated. Zuko studied Aang for a moment, taking in his old friend's appearance. Although he was a little more subdued than usual, he was still more light-hearted and exuberant than most people ever were. Him and Katara had managed to be around one another with only minimal awkwardness, though it certainly didn't help that the rest of the group was not so subtly watching their interactions.

His smile faded slightly as his gaze landed on Katara, calmly sipping her tea and listening to the conversation between Toph and Aang, only occasionally adding her input. She had been distant ever since that day in his study, making sure never to be alone with him. It had been agonizing to be so close yet met with a wall of polite redirection every time he tried to speak with her. The past month had shown him a glimpse of what it might be like to just be with her without worrying about the rest of the world intruding. He had been shocked coldly back into reality with the arrival of Toph and with each passing day, it seemed as though the easy, affectionate interactions of the past month were a quickly receding possibility.

He sighed heavily, the jovial mood of the previous moments gone. He got up and excused himself from the table, citing the mounds of paperwork dealing with the Fire Nation on his desk. He turned and walked quickly to his study, feeling two sets of eyes follow him out of the room.

* * *

After dinner, Toph burst into Katara's room after a quick rap of her knuckles on the door.

"You know, most people wait until they're invited in before they enter the room." Katara chided.

"I'm not most people." Toph declared.

"That is very true." Katara waited patiently, sure that Toph wouldn't hold in what she had to say for long.

"What," she said evenly, "are you doing?"

"I'm…making sure to take things slowly." Katara explained.

Toph snorted, though she was glad that Katara had finally stopped pretending not to know what she was talking about every time she brought up Zuko. "More like at a glacial place, Sweetness. I think you're overthinking things, as usual. You know Twinkletoes does have other things to do besides worry about what is going on with his ex-girlfriend."

"I'm not overthinking things. It is complicated." She insisted. She twisted her hands in her lap, picking at the imaginary lint on her sheets. "I just don't want to hurt him more than I already have." She said finally.

Toph sighed. "Listen Katara, Aang is a big boy," she said. "And you've gotta let him grow up someday."

* * *

A quiet knock sounded at his door. A moment later, Suki slipped in quietly.

Zuko sat slumped in his chair, turning over one of Kataras old letters in his hand.

"Making good headway in that pile of paperwork?" she said teasingly.

He made a noise between a grunt and a groan.

"So," she said bluntly. "What's your next move?"

"My next move," he replied, "is to wait for her next move."  
"Really." She said, disbelievingly. "The guy who spent an entire year doggedly chasing the Avatar around the entire world, fought everyone and everything to regain your honor, took on your terrifying sister in an Agni Kai and your next move is to wait it out?"

"I don't...I don't want to force her into anything that she doesn't want to do."

"Believe me, Zuko. You'd be doing the both of you a favor by making a move. You've been in love with her for two years. She's been out of love with Aang for almost as long. What are you waiting for?" She said plaintively.

"You know that it's not that simple." He finally said. "Even if I was sure she wanted..."

"She does." Suki said firmly.

"Still. It isn't simple." He said quietly. "Aang is one of my best friends and he loved her for a very long time."

Suki gave him a long look. "But you can't always let your happiness depend on the Avatar." she said gently.

* * *

Later that night, Zuko cornered her in the palace gardens. "You're avoiding me." he accused.

"I'm -" she began defensively, ready to deny. Then she saw the hurt look of vulnerability on Zuko's face. "I am," she admitted. "Was?" She said hopefully.

The expression on his face didn't change. "Why?" He inquired.

"Because..." she looked upwards to the sky, hoping to find the answer in the stars. "Because it's not just the two of us." She finished with a sigh.

Zuko tilted his head towards her and furrowed his brow, obviously confused. "In the palace…?"

Katara found his expression and obvious puzzlement so endearing that she couldn't help but laugh suddenly, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tightly.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you. I needed some time to think. But I should've just told you that instead of avoiding you all week." She conceded, apologetically. Now that she was here, in his arms, she felt foolish for not just saying she needed some time to think. Zuko had always valued honesty and directness, which was one of the things she liked most about him. But two years of habitual evasive maneuvering died hard.

"Yes," he replied grumpily, although his arms snaked around her lower back and pulled her closer to him. "You should've."

"I'll make it up to you by letting you win our next pai sho game." She teased, happy to feel a small chuckle run through him.

He harrumphed and then was silent. "So," he began carefully, "what have you been thinking about?"

"That I've really liked being here with you for the past month." She confessed. She looked up at him and smiled. "Before everyone showed up, I had no major responsibilities, no gossip and for once your hot-blooded citizens aren't calling for your blood every other week. It's been just the two of us. Getting to do…whatever we want."

"But it's not just the two of us," He echoed, thinking to the swatch of rooms currently occupied by his Uncle, her father, Sokka and Suki and Aang.

She nodded. "No, it isn't." She agreed. "If we were two different people…if we were the only people in the world…" She began, then cut herself off abruptly.

"...Then things would be different." he finished for, looking at her sadly and beginning to pull away.

She shook her head firmly, locking her arms around him. "Things would be easier." She corrected him.

She tried to collect her thoughts from the past three weeks. Truthfully, there had been many times over the past year where she had thought about what her life might've been like if she had never found that lost little boy frozen in the iceberg; if Zuko had never been a banished prince forced to restore his honor and she hadn't been the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe; if they'd never fought one another as enemies or defeated his sister as fast allies.  
But after the past week, she had firmly, decisively, shut off her mind from going down that winding road of fruitless speculation. Because as twisted, terrifying, bumpy and confusing as the road that had brought them to this point had been, it – and the people they shared it with – had shaped the both of them, allowed them to grow up, grow older and grow together.

"But things have never been easy for us." She finished. "And we've always managed to figure it out."

He looked at her closely, eyes locked on her face. Her eyes flicked down to his lips and then back up to his eyes.

He took a sharp intake of breath, hands clenching slightly at his side, eyes never leaving hers. They burned brightly with long held desire and love. He took a long, slow step towards her, gently grabbing her arm as though to steady himself. He looked down at her face, her eyes questioning, deep blue pools of kindness and strength that he never wanted to stop losing himself in.

He closed his own and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips, feeling her hesitation and quashing his panic to keep his lips firmly on hers.

A moment passed between the two of them.

And then she kissed him back.

She grabbed him by the shoulder to bring them closer together as her mouth opened beneath his.

It's all worth it for this moment, he thought in a daze. Even if she pushes me off in the next moment, even if she stops me and calls it a mistake or a stupid decision. It's all worth it for this one moment, this one memory that eclipses all the half imagined day dreams and wishes.

But she did none of those things. Instead, she pressed herself closer to him. He stifled a groan and brought his hands up to cup her face, angling his head to claim her mouth completely. He poured two years of withheld passion and love into the kiss, reaching back to tangle one of his hands in her hair. She met him with every movement, challenging him, teasing him, making him dizzy with want. He wanted to imprint the feeling of her hands in his hair, on his chest, gripping him closer; the sound of her gasp when he gently sucked on her bottom lip; the sensation of her skin beneath his fingertips, silky and warm, pulsing with desire.

Finally, they broke apart, panting lightly but still wrapped up in one another.

He kept his eyes closed, breathing her in, wanting to freeze this moment in his mind forever.

"Zuko." She said gently, her voice a plea.

He opened his eyes, looking straight into hers, overwhelmed by the love that he knew was reflected in his own.

"I love you," he said, the words bursting out, washing over him. "I love you so much. I..."

Her eyes burned brightly as she crashed her mouth onto his, breaking away a moment later to murmur against his lips, "I love you, too."

He brought his mouth down on hers once more, breaking away only at the sound of a whoop and clapping. He and Katara looked over into the smiling faces of Toph and Suki, who gave them both a thumbs up.

"Looks like it really isn't just the two of us," He said breathily.

She laughed and pulled him down for another kiss, throwing a rude hand signal to their two friends simultaneously.

* * *

"You and Katara were looking pretty close last night." Suki's voice rang out with amusement behind him.

Zuko opened his eyes and turned around, feeling too elated to really focus on his morning meditation anyway. "You know, it isn't proper to spy or sneak up on the Fire Lord like that."

Suki rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be mad just because you couldn't hear me coming up to you. Looks like you're getting soft in your old age, Lord Jerkbender." She sat down next to him. "So what's next?"

"Whatever we want." He said, smiling slowly, barely able to contain the joy blooming in his chest.

* * *

Katara was not generally an early riser, by any definition of the word. Indeed, after the stress of the week-long festivities of the seventh annual celebration of the end of the war combined with the excitement of the previous night, she thought she would've been in bed until well past noon. But it seemed as though her restless body had other ideas for her.

She stood leaning against a pillar with a cup of tea in her hands, observing Zuko's morning firebending routine in the pre-dawn light.

"That good, huh?" An amused voice drawled out next to her.

Katara kept her voice calm. "I'm sure that I don't know what you're talking about."

Toph snorted. "I can tell he's doing his morning routine, which means his shirt is off - and I've heard enough about his chest to actually sometimes wish I could see."

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Katara, which caused her to chuckle quietly. They stood in amicable silence for a moment before Toph grinned wickedly at her and said,

"Honestly, Sugar Queen, you really might wanna stop yourself from gawking at Sparky there. Don't want anyone to get wrong idea. Unless…" she paused dramatically, "that's the exact idea you want people to get."

"Not yet," she said, beaming in the direction of Zuko, "but soon."

Toph smiled at her. "About time."

* * *

_A/N: Awww. I know there are quite a few holes to fill in there and the build up could've been better. But I wanted to get this out sooner rather than later. I was originally planning on having a lot more Aangst (see what I did there) but figured I could save that for another story that I have brewing in my head. ;)_


End file.
